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Issue date: July 14, 2000

Margie Nishimoto of Sunnyvale helped her daughter Jaimie, age 3, to prepare for the Bon Odori memorial service during last year's Obon festival at the Mountain View Buddhist Temple.

@vcredit:Courtesy of Margaret Abe

Mountain View Buddhist Temple celebrates 48th remembrance festival

By Jaime Bloss

Japanese food, music and dancing are just a sampling of what will be offered at the 48th annual Obon festival to be held at the Mountain View Buddhist Temple on Saturday, July 15 and Sunday, July 16.

Obon, which means "season of gathering joy," is a time for Buddhists to remember deceased loved ones and provides "a way of both welcoming and bidding farewell" to them, said Rev. David Matsumoto, a featured festival speaker from the Institute of Buddhist Studies.

According to Min Uyehara, president of the Mountain View Buddhist Temple, the Obon season opens with the Hatsubon, a memorial service that pays respect to people who have had funeral services at the temple since the last Obon festival.

"A lot of people mistake it (the Hatsubon) just for people who have passed away, but actually, it's a celebration of life with past remembrance of our forefathers," said Uyehara.

A highlight of the festival is the Bon Odori, a Japanese folk dance based on the legend of Moggallana, a Buddhist disciple who, after making offerings to monks, reportedly jumped for joy on learning that she had returned from the dead. The Bon Odori symbolizes that joyous leap and is "an event of appreciation," said Matsumoto.

Marilyn Ozawa will lead the dance, which starts Sunday at 7 p.m., with the aid of Ester Bunya, Donna Okamoto and Frances Sawamura. The Chidori Band will provide live music for the dance.

Examples of Japanese art forms will be on exhibit throughout the weekend, including floral arrangements by Ikebana Ikenobo instructor Chizu Iwata and her students, bonsai trees by Shige Horiuchi and the Peninsula Bonsai Club, and suiseki (scenic rocks in natural form) by Jackson Kato and the Kashu Suiseki Kai.

Cultural demonstrations will take place Sunday, beginning at 2 p.m. The Mountain View Buddhist Temple Taiko, a drumming group, will perform and then allow the audience to try their hands at taiko drumming.

A Japanese gift wrapping demonstration will be given by Ami Wada, and a surprise anniversary sushi will be unveiled. Demonstrations on how to prepare Japanese foods will also be given. Dishes available will include sushi, udon, beef and chicken teriyaki, tempura, sashimi and ohagi. For those who prefer Western dishes, hamburgers, corn dogs, french fries and ice cream will also be on sale.

Games, including bingo, nickel and dime pitch, and basketball toss, will be offered for children and adults at reasonable rates, said Hiroji Kariya, co-chairman of this year's festival. A raffle on Sunday evening carries a first place cash prize of $1,000. All proceeds will be placed in a fund that benefits the temple, Kariya said.

Based on attendance last year, Kariya expects a large turnout for the event and estimates that between 400 and 500 volunteers are helping out with all aspects of the festival's preparation.

Uyehara would like the community to share in the celebration of life at the Obon festival. "Have a good time. Enjoy one another's company and enjoy the Japanese culture available in our community," he said.

The Obon festival and bazaar will be held on Saturday, July 15, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and on Sunday, July 16 from noon to 9 p.m. The temple is located at 575 Shoreline Blvd., across from the Bailey Park Shopping Center. Admission and parking are free.